Woman charged in overdose death
LANSDALE >> Authorities have charged a Souderton woman with criminal homicide following the overdose death of Lansdale man.
Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele, Abington Township Police Chief Patrick Molloy and Lansdale Borough Police Chief Michael B. Trail announce the charging of Kelsey Marie McCabe, 27, of Souderton, on the criminal homicide charge of drug delivery resulting in death in the overdose death of Justin Martella of Lansdale on July 31, 2018.
Lansdale Borough Police arrived at 6:42 p.m., July 31, 2018, to an apartment on West Sixth Street for a report of a heroin overdose and found Martella unresponsive inside the residence. He was unable to be revived and was pronounced dead at 7:12 p.m. In the apartment, police found baggies containing traces of a white powder. Some of the baggies were stamped with “DANGER” with a skull and bones in red. This type of baggie is commonly used for packaging heroin and/or fentanyl. They also secured the victim’s cell phone.
Detectives examined Martella’s iPhone found that he had been communicating with McCabe on the day of his death in order to purchase heroin/fentanyl from her.
The texts and phone calls indicated that a meet up was arranged for Martella to purchase the drugs from McCabe at her residence that day. Investigators later
recovered McCabe’s phone and confirmed the communications.
Forensic Pathologist Erica Williams of the Montgomery County Corner’s Office conducted an autopsy on Martella’s body on Aug. 1, 2018, and determined that the cause of death was heroin and fentanyl intoxication.
An analysis by National Medical Services on the baggies stamped “DANGER” located at the scene of Martella’s overdose death found that they contained a combination of fentanyl and heroin.
“This overdose death of a young man is the result of someone selling deadly poison for greed and for profit without caring about the consequences of her actions.
There are consequences when you kill someone, and in this case, those consequences are being charged with drug delivery resulting in death,” said Steele. “Drug dealers need to hear this message: if we can prove that the drugs you sold caused someone’s death,
you will be charged with homicide and face up to 20 to 40 years in prison.”
McCabe was charged on July 8, 2019, with drug delivery resulting in death, dealing in the proceeds of unlawful activities and criminal use of a communication facility. She was arraigned Tuesday before Magisterial District Judge Edward Levine, who set bail at $500,000 cash. She remained in the Bucks County Correctional Facility, where she faces other charges unrelated to this overdose death. A preliminary hearing was set for July 17, 2019, before Magisterial District Judge Levine.
The case will be prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Lindsay Mills.